BILL ANALYSIS
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 37
Author: Furutani (D), et al
Amended: 7/8/09 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/10/09
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Maldonado,
Padilla, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 80-0, 5/4/09 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Public postsecondary education: honorary
degrees
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the California State
University and the California Community Colleges, requests
the University of California, and urges independent
colleges and universities, to work with their respective
colleges and universities to confer honorary degrees upon
persons forced to leave a public postsecondary institution
as the result of the internment of the Japanese during
World War II.
ANALYSIS : Executive Order 9066, issued by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, caused the
CONTINUED
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incarceration of approximately 120,000 Americans and
resident aliens of Japanese ancestry in camps throughout
the United States during World War II. On August 10, 1988,
President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties
Act of 1988 apologizing for the internment of the Japanese
on behalf of the United States government and declaring
that Executive Order 9066 was carried out without adequate
security reasons and was motivated largely by racial
prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political
leadership.
AB 781 (Lieber), Chapter 130, Statutes of 2003, authorized
a high school district, unified school district, or county
office of education, to retroactively grant a high school
diploma to a person who:
1. Did not receive a high school diploma due to internment
by order of the federal government during World War II.
2. Was enrolled in a high school operated by the school
district or under the jurisdiction of the county office
of education immediately preceding his/her internment.
3. Did not receive a high school diploma because the
pupil's education was interrupted due to his/her
internment.
This bill:
1. Requires the Trustees of the California State University
(CSU) and the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, and requests the Regents of the
University of California (UC) to work with their
respective colleges and universities to confer honorary
degrees upon persons forced to leave a public
postsecondary institution as the result of the
internment of the Japanese during World War II.
2. Authorizes a surviving next of kin, or representative
chosen by a surviving next of kin, to accept an honorary
degree conferred upon a deceased person on their behalf.
3. Urges compliance with these provisions by independent
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colleges and universities, as defined.
4. Requires to be implemented in a cost-effective manner by
incorporating, to the extent practicable, any ceremony
for the purpose of conferring honorary degrees with a
previously scheduled commencement or graduation
activity.
Comments
According to a 1949 study (Robert O'Brien, The College
Nisei ), 2,567 Japanese American students were enrolled in
higher education institutions in California at the time of
the internment order. Of these, 729 were enrolled at UC,
221 at the CSU and 1,245 at the community colleges.
The UC recently convened a joint Administration-Academic
Senate Task Force to consider, among other things, whether
any recognition of these students is appropriate, what
precedent such recognition might establish, and what
mechanisms are available to recognize such students. The
Task Force made its recommendations to the Academic Council
in March 2009, and is awaiting action by the Academic
Senate. According to the UC, the proposed policies to be
considered by the Regents and Academic Senate are in line
with this bill's provisions.
In May 2009, the CSU Academic Senate unanimously approved a
resolution strongly urging campuses to seek out and honor
alumni unable to complete their degrees as a result of
internment during World War II with an honorary degree,
ceremonies of acknowledgement and/or other appropriate
recognition.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 7/14/09)
American Federation of State, County and Municipal
Employees
Asian Americans for Civil Rights and Equality
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach
California Community Colleges, Chancellor's Office
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California Federation of Teachers
California State Student Association
Community Works West
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
Japanese American Citizens League, Diablo Valley Chapter,
Marin County Chapter, N. California-W. Nevada-Pacific
District, Pacific Southwest District, San Francisco
Chapter, San Mateo Chapter, Watsonville-Santa Cruz
Chapter
Japanese American Cultural and Community Center
Japanese American National Museum
Japanese Community Youth Council
Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern
California
Lewis Kawahara, College of San Mateo
Long Beach City College
Marin Community College District, Board of Trustees
Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress
Nisei Student Relocation Commemorative Fund, Inc.
Sikh Coalition
The Little Tokyo Service Center
University of California
University of California Student Association
Yu-Ai Kai Japanese American Community Senior Service
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
a handful of California's higher education institutions
have awarded honorary degrees or otherwise recognized
Japanese Americans whose educations were interrupted
because of their incarceration during World War II.
Specifically, UC Berkeley in 1992, San Francisco State
University in 1998, Sierra College in 2007, and the
University of Southern California in 2008, have all
recognized these students in some form.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Duvall, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
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Garrick, Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi,
Hernandez, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight,
Krekorian, Lieu, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza,
Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, John A.
Perez, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino, Price, Ruskin, Salas,
Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Audra
Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico, Tran,
Villines, Yamada, Bass
DLW:mw 7/14/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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